US20230192403A1 - Article sorting device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to the technical field of logistics sorting, and in particular to a article sorting device. The article sorting device according to the present disclosure includes: a sorting track, including transition tracks and multiple layers of main tracks, wherein the transition track is connected to the same ends of the two adjacent layers of main tracks in a first direction, and the two adjacent transition tracks in a height direction are located at two ends of the main track in the first direction; and a sorting mechanism movably arranged on the sorting track to load an article, configured to unload the article in a second direction when moving to a set sorting position along the sorting track, wherein the second direction intersects the height direction and the first direction. Based on this, the occupied area of the article sorting device is effectively reduced.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
• The present disclosure is based upon and claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202010469552.2, filed on May 28, 2020, the entire contents of all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
• The present disclosure relates to the technical field of logistics sorting, and in particular to an article sorting device.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
• In recent years, the logistics automation industry has developed rapidly, and various kinds of sorting and transmission equipment have appeared. At present, there are two main types of sorting machines, one is a loop sorting machine, and the other one is a linear sorting machine.
• The loop sorting machine sorts articles through a horizontal oblong loop track. As to loop sorting machine, although numerous belt carts can run at the same time, the occupied area is large. The linear sorting machine adopts a longitudinal loop track. As to linear sorting machine, although the occupied area is smaller than that of the loop sorting machine, the occupied area is still larger, and the utilization rate of the belt carts is low.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
• One technical problem to be solved by the present disclosure is to reduce the occupied area of the article sorting device.
• To solve the above technical problem, the present disclosure provides an article sorting device, including:
• a sorting track, including transition tracks and multiple layers of main tracks, wherein the transition track is connected to the same ends of the two adjacent layers of main tracks in a first direction, and the two adjacent transition tracks in a height direction are located at two ends of the main track in the first direction; and a sorting mechanism movably arranged on the sorting track to load an article, configured to unload the article in a second direction when moving to a set sorting position along the sorting track, wherein the second direction intersects the height direction and the first direction.
• In some embodiments, the sorting mechanism has a loading surface for placing the article, and the loading surface always faces upwards during movement of the sorting mechanism along the sorting track.
• In some embodiments, the transition track includes a first transition part and a second transition part; the first transition part and the second transition part are arranged side by side in the second direction and spaced from each other; the sorting mechanism includes a first connecting part and a second connecting part, the sorting mechanism is coupled with the first transition part and the second transition part respectively through the first connecting part and the second connecting part, the first transition part is staggered with respect to the second transition part by a distance L towards a side of the first direction, and the first connection part is staggered with respect to the second connection part by the same distance toward the same side of the first direction.
• In some embodiments, a magnetic pole plate is arranged at the bottom of the sorting mechanism, the article sorting device includes a motor, and the motor cooperates with the magnetic pole plate to drive the sorting mechanism to walk along the sorting track.
• In some embodiments, the motor is provided with a groove extending in the first direction, and the magnetic pole plate passes through the groove during movement of the sorting mechanism along the sorting track.
• In some embodiments, a guide part is arranged at an inlet of the groove, and the guide part is configured to guide the magnetic pole plate to enter the groove.
• In some embodiments, the article sorting device includes a plurality of sorting mechanisms and a mounting bar, wherein an extension direction of the mounting bar is consistent with that of the sorting track, the mounting bar is configured to move relative to the sorting track, and the plurality of sorting mechanisms are arranged on the mounting bar side by side.
• In some embodiments, a cavity is formed in the sorting track, and a side wall of the cavity is provided with an opening, the mounting bar is arranged in the cavity, and the sorting mechanism extends into the cavity from the opening and is connected to the mounting bar.
• In some embodiments, the article sorting device includes a limiting piece, wherein the limiting piece is arranged on the mounting bar to limit a displacement of the sorting mechanism in the second direction.
• In some embodiments, a first limiting wheel connected to the sorting mechanism is arranged on the mounting bar, the limiting piece includes a second limiting wheel, the first limiting wheel and the second limiting wheel are arranged at intervals in an extension direction of the mounting bar, and an axis of the first limiting wheel is perpendicular to an axis of the second limiting wheel.
• In some embodiments, a plurality of first limiting wheels and a plurality of second limiting wheels are arranged on the mounting bar, and the plurality of first limiting wheels and the plurality of second limiting wheels are arranged sequentially in turn in the extension direction of the mounting bar.
• In some embodiments, the transition tracks are arc-shaped tracks.
• In some embodiments, in the multiple layers of main tracks, the main track located on the bottom layer is connected to one end, without the transition track, of the main track on the top layer through a return track.
• In some embodiments, the return track is a linear track.
• In some embodiments, the article sorting device includes a trolley wire, wherein the trolley wire is arranged on the sorting track, the sorting mechanism includes an electrical slip ring, and the electrical slip ring is electrically connected to the trolley wire.
• In some embodiments, the article sorting device includes a chute, wherein the chute is arranged on the sorting track and located at the sorting position to receive the article unloaded by the sorting mechanism and guide the article to fall.
• In some embodiments, the chutes are arranged on two sides of the sorting track in the second direction.
• In some embodiments, the article sorting device includes a container, wherein the container is configured to receive the article falling from the chute.
• The sorting track is configured to include the transition tracks and the multiple layers of main tracks, wherein the transition track is connected to the same ends in a first direction of two adjacent layers of main tracks, and t two adjacent transition tracks in a height direction are located at two ends of the main track in the first direction, and the sorting mechanism is configured to unload articles in the second direction intersecting the height direction and the first direction when moving to the set sorting position along the sorting track, so that the article sorting device according to the present disclosure becomes a three-dimensional storehouse type article sorting device, thereby effectively reducing the occupied area.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• The accompanying drawings described herein are used to provide further understanding of the present disclosure and constitute a part of the present disclosure. The schematic embodiments of the present disclosure and descriptions thereof are used to explain the present disclosure, and do not constitute an improper limitation to the present disclosure. In the accompanying drawings:
• FIG.1 is a three-dimensional diagram of an article sorting device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
• FIG.2 is a front view of the article sorting device shown inFIG.1.
• FIG.3 is a first three-dimensional diagram of a sorting mechanism according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
• FIG.4 is a second three-dimensional diagram of the sorting mechanism shown inFIG.3.
• FIG.5 is a partial three-dimensional diagram of an article sorting device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
• FIG.6 is a partial top view of an article sorting device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
• FIG.7 is a schematic diagram of a partial structure when an article sorting device is sectioned along a surface perpendicular to a second direction according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
• FIG.8 is a cross section of a sorting track according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
• The present disclosure is described hereinafter in detail. In the following paragraphs, different aspects of the embodiments are defined in detail. The aspects defined may be combined with one or more of any other aspects unless it is explicitly pointed that they cannot be combined. In particular, any features considered to be preferred or favorable may be combined with one or more of other features considered to be preferred or favorable combination.
• The terms “first”, “second” and the like appearing in the present disclosure are only configured to facilitate description so as to distinguish different components with the same name, but not to represent a sequence or a primary and secondary relationship.
• In the description of the present disclosure, an azimuth or position relationship indicated by terms “upper”, “lower”, “top”, “bottom”, “front”, “rear”, “inner”, “outer” and the like is an azimuth or position relationship based on the accompanying drawings, which is only for convenient description of the present disclosure, but not indicates or implies that the referred device must have a specific azimuth and perform construction and operation in the specific azimuth; therefore, it cannot be interpreted as a limitation to the protection scope of the present disclosure.
• FIG.1 toFIG.8 exemplarily show anarticle sorting device100 according to the present disclosure.
• Referring toFIG.1 toFIG.8, thearticle sorting device100 according to the present disclosure includes asorting track1 and asorting mechanism2.
• Thesorting track1 is configured to bear thesorting mechanism2 and limit a moving path of thesorting mechanism2. Referring toFIG.1,FIG.2 andFIG.5, in some embodiments, thesorting track1 includestransition tracks12 and multiple layers ofmain tracks11. The multiple layers ofmain tracks11 are arranged at intervals in a height direction Z. Each of thetraditional tracks12 is connected to the same ends of two adjacent layers ofmain tracks11 in a first direction Y, and twoadjacent transition tracks12 in the height direction Z are located at two ends of themain track11 in the first direction Y. The first direction Y is along an extension direction of themain tracks11. On such basis, thesorting track1 is configured as a multi-layer track that rotates upward in a roughly S shape and cooperates with thesorting mechanism2 to realize sorting operation, thereby realizing the occupied area and improving a space utilization rate. Furthermore, the structure form that rotates upwards in the roughly S shape is beneficial to make a motion inertia of the wholearticle sorting device100 more balanced, improve the stress and reduce the vibration.
• Both themain track11 and thetransition track12 may be any one of a linear track or a curved track. In addition, themain tracks11 may be arranged horizontally, or may be arranged inclined in a vertical plane. For example, referring toFIG.1 toFIG.2, in some embodiments, themain tracks11 are horizontally arranged linear tracks, and thetransition tracks12 are arc-shaped tracks. In this case, thesorting track1 has a simpler structure and is more convenient to guide thesorting mechanism2 to move efficiently and stably.
• Specifically, referring toFIG.1,FIG.2 andFIG.5, in some embodiments, each of themain tracks11 includes a firstmain body part111 and a secondmain body part112, and the firstmain body part111 and the secondmain body part112 are arranged at intervals in a second direction X. The second direction X intersects the height direction Z and the first direction Y. The firstmain body parts111 of the multiple layers ofmain tracks11 are configured to face each other up and down, and the secondmain body parts112 of the multiple layers ofmain tracks11 are configured to face each other up and down. Different firstmain body parts111, different secondmain body parts112, and the firstmain body parts111 and the secondmain body parts112 may be configured to have the same structure, so as to simplify the structure. For example, referring toFIG.1, in some embodiments, the firstmain body parts111 and the secondmain body parts112 are all linear tracks extending horizontally, and the firstmain body parts111 and the secondmain body parts112 have the same size. In this case, all themain tracks11 are linear tracks having the same size and extending horizontally.
• Continuing to refer toFIG.1,FIG.2 andFIG.5, in some embodiments, each of the transition tracks12 includes afirst transition part121 and asecond transition part122, and thefirst transition part121 and thesecond transition part122 are arranged at intervals in the second direction X. Thefirst transition part121 is connected to the firstmain body part111 of adjacent layers. Thesecond transition part122 is connected to the secondmain body part112 of adjacent layers. Thefirst transition parts121 of the transition tracks12 on different layers are configured to face each other up and down, and thesecond transition parts122 of the transition tracks12 on different layers are configured to face each other up and down. Differentfirst transition parts121, differentsecond transition parts122, and thefirst transition parts121 and thetransition parts122 may adopt the identical structure, thereby simplifying the structure. For example, referring toFIG.1, in some embodiments, thefirst transition parts121 and thesecond transition parts122 are all arc-shaped tracks, and thefirst transition parts121 and thesecond transition parts122 have the same size. In this case, all the transition tracks12 are arc-shaped tracks having the same size.
• All the firstmain body parts111 and all thefirst transition parts121 are collectively referred to as a first track member, and all the secondmain body parts112 and all thesecond transition parts122 are collectively referred to as a second track member, thereby facilitating distinguishment and subsequent description. It is not difficult to understand that the first track member and the second track member are arranged at intervals in the second direction X; the first track member includes multiple layers of firstmain body parts111, andfirst transition parts121 connected between the adjacent layers of firstmain body parts111; and the second track member includes multiple layers of secondmain body parts112, andsecond transition parts122 connected between the adjacent layers of secondmain body parts112.
• In order to enhance structural stability of the sortingtrack1, referring toFIG.5, in some embodiments, a supportingbracket8 is arranged on the firstmain body part111 and the secondmain body part112 on the same layer, and the supportingbracket8 is connected to the firstmain body part111 and the secondmain body part112 on the same layer. The supportingbracket8 is supported between the firstmain body part111 and the secondmain body part112 on the same layer, so that a distance between the firstmain body part111 and the secondmain body part112 on the same layer is kept, and the structure of the sortingtrack1 is firmer and more stable. Of course, as a modification, the supportingbracket8 may be arranged between thefirst transition part121 and thesecond transition part122 on the same layer (that is, between thefirst transition part121 and the second transitional122 of the same transition track12), or the supportingbrackets8 may be arranged between the firstmain body part111 and the secondmain body part112 on the same layer, and between thefirst transition part121 and thesecond transition part122 on the same layer, so as to enhance the structural stability of the sortingtrack1.
• Thesorting mechanism2 is configured to load articles A and sort the articles A. Referring toFIG.1 toFIG.7, in some embodiments, thesorting mechanism2 is movably arranged on thesorting track1, loads articles A, and is configured to unload the loaded articles A when moving to a set sorting position B along the sortingtrack1. When moving along the sortingtrack1, moving directions of thesorting mechanism2 on the two adjacent layers ofmain tracks11 are opposite. On such basis, thearticle sorting device100 becomes a multi-layer three-dimensional storehouse type linear sorting machine under the cooperation of thesorting mechanism2 and thesorting track1 that rotates upwards in the roughly S shape, so that the space utilization rate is effectively increased, and the occupied area is saved by many times, which facilitates arranging morearticle sorting devices100 in the same space, thereby improving sorting efficiency article sorting device, or adding other devices in the same space, thereby enriching types of the devices in the same space. Meanwhile, the multi-layerarticle sorting device100 can perform multi-layer sorting operations at the same time, and can better meet requirements of heavier sorting tasks or more sorting types.
• In order to enable thesorting mechanism2 to unload articles A, referring toFIG.3 toFIG.6, thesorting mechanism2 includes amechanism body21 and anunloading mechanism24, and theunloading mechanism24 is arranged on themechanism body21 to drive the articles A to move relative to themechanism body21 in the second direction X, so that the articles A is separated from thesorting mechanism2 and a transfer function is achieved. In some embodiments, theunloading mechanism24 is configured as a belt conveying mechanism, for example, an electrical roller belt mechanism, including abelt241 and an electrical roller (not shown in the figure), wherein thebelt241 is driven by the electrical roller to rotate to unload the articles A.
• In order to realize the arrangement of thesorting mechanism2 on thesorting track1, referring toFIG.3 toFIG.6, thesorting mechanism2 includes a first connectingpart22 and a second connectingpart23. The first connectingpart22 and the second connectingpart23 are located on two opposite sides of the sorting mechanism2 (specifically, the mechanism body21) in the second direction X. Thesorting mechanism2 is coupled to two sides of the sortingtrack1 along the second direction X through the first connectingpart22 and the second connectingpart23, respectively. When the sortingtrack1 includes the first track member and the second track member, the two sides of the sortingtrack1 along the second direction X are the first track member and the second track member. In this case, thesorting mechanism2 is coupled with the first track member through the first connectingpart22, and is coupled with the second track member through the second connectingpart23. When passing through thetransition track12, thesorting mechanism2 is coupled with thefirst transition part121 through the first connectingpart22, and is coupled with thesecond transition part122 through the second connectingpart23.
• In some embodiments, the firstmain body part111 and the secondmain body part112 which are located on the same layer have the same height and are parallel with each other. This structure is convenient to realize the movement of thesorting mechanism2, so that thesorting mechanism2 is more stable and reliable in the moving process. In this case, the first connectingpart22 and the second connectingpart23 also have the same height.
• In some other embodiments, the firstmain body part111 and the secondmain body part112 that are located on the same layer have a height difference. In this case, the first connectingpart22 and the second connectingpart23 also have a height difference.
• A surface, for placing articles A, of thesorting mechanism2 is referred to as a loading surface S. The loading surface S may be an upper surface of theunloading mechanism24. Referring toFIG.1 andFIG.2, in some embodiments, the loading surface S always faces upwards in the moving processing of thesorting mechanism2 along the sortingtrack1. In this case, the loading surface S can be kept upward not only when thesorting mechanism2 passes through themain tracks11, but also when thesorting mechanism2 passes through the transition tracks12, therefore, the articles A can be prevented from falling from thesorting mechanism2, such that even if a member specially for fixing the articles A is not arranged between thesorting mechanism2 and the articles A, or even if the articles A are directly placed on the loading surface instead of being additionally fixed, the articles A are not easy to fall from thesorting mechanism2 in the whole process that thesorting mechanism2 moves along the sortingtrack1, especially when thesorting mechanism2 passes through the transition tracks12, thereby facilitating thesorting mechanism2 to convey the articles A more stably, and effectively improving the sorting efficiency.
• In order to enable the loading surface S to always face upwards in the moving process of thesorting mechanism2 along the sortingtrack1, referring toFIG.1 toFIG.2 andFIG.5 toFIG.6, in some embodiments, thefirst transition part121 and thesecond transition part122, and thefirst transition part121 is staggered with respect to thesecond transition part122 by a distance L towards a side of the first direction Y, and thefirst connection part22 is staggered with respect to thesecond connection part23 by the same distance toward the same side of the first direction Y. In other words, the staggered distance between thefirst transition part121 and thesecond transition part122 in the first direction Y is equal to the staggered distance between the first connectingpart22 and the second connectingpart23 in the first direction Y, and the staggered direction of thefirst transition part121 relative to thesecond transition part122 is as same as the staggered direction of the first connectingpart22 relative to the second connectingpart23.
• Thefirst transition part121 and thesecond transition part122 are staggered in the first direction Y, and the first connectingpart22 and the second connectingpart23 of thesorting mechanism2 connected to two sides of the sortingtrack1 are staggered, and the staggered distances and the staggered directions are the same, therefore, thesorting mechanism2 can be prevented from overturning when passing through thetransition track12, the orientation of the loading surface S of thesorting mechanism2 is prevented from changing, such that the loading surface S can be always kept upward, and the articles A can be conveyed stably.
• Furthermore, the loading surface S always faces upwards, so that thesorting mechanism2 can perform a sorting task on each layer of the sortingtrack1, that is, thesorting mechanism2 can sort articles in the whole movement process. Therefore, it is beneficial to increase the utilization rate of thesorting mechanism2, thereby improving the sorting efficiency of thearticle sorting device100.
• As mentioned above, in some embodiments, the dimensions of thefirst body portion111 and thesecond body portion112 and the dimensions of thefirst transition portion121 and thesecond transition portion122 are respectively the same, that is, the firstmain body part111 and the secondmain body part112 have the same length, and thefirst transition part121 and thesecond transition part122 have the same length. In this case, if thefirst transition part121 of thetransition track12 connected to the first end of themain track11 in the first direction Y extends by the distance L from thesecond transition portion122 toward a direction away from the second end of themain body rail11 along the first direction Y, thefirst transition part121 of thetransition track12 connected to the second end of themain track11 in the first direction Y retracts by the distance L from thesecond transition portion122 toward a direction away from the second end of themain body rail11 along the first direction Y. For example, inFIG.2, thefirst transition part121 of thetransition track12 located on the left side extends leftwards by the distance L relative to thesecond transition part122, and thefirst transition part121 of thetransition track12 located on the right side retracts leftwards by the distance L relative to thesecond transition part122.
• To improve the sorting efficiency, referring toFIG.1 toFIG.2, in some embodiments, thearticle sorting device100 includes a plurality of sortingmechanisms2, and the plurality of sortingmechanisms2 are arranged side by side.FIG.2 only shows that one of the sortingmechanisms2 are provided with articles A, but it can be understood that this is only a simplified drawing method. During actual work, eachsorting mechanism2 may be provided with articles A, so that these sortingmechanisms2 can perform sorting tasks at the same time, thereby improving the sorting efficiency.
• Different sorting mechanisms2 may bear articles A with the same or different sorting categories. For example, the articles A that need to be delivered to different destinations may be loaded bydifferent sorting mechanisms2, and different sorting positions B are set for thesedifferent sorting mechanisms2. Eachsorting mechanism2 is controlled to run along the sortingtrack1 to the sorting position B corresponding to the loaded articles A, and the articles A are unloaded, thereby realizing sorting of the articles A.
• When a plurality of sortingmechanisms2 are provided, referring toFIG.5 toFIG.7, in some embodiments, thearticle sorting device100 includes a mountingbar3, an extension direction of the mountingbar3 is consistent with that of the sortingtrack1 and the mountingbar3 is configured to be movable relative to thesorting track1, and all thesorting mechanisms2 are arranged on the mountingbar3 side by side. In this case, the mountingbar3 is moved relative to thesorting track1, then all thesorting mechanisms2 are driven together to move relative to thesorting track1, which is simple and convenient.
• Referring toFIG.3 toFIG.7, in some embodiments, amagnetic pole plate26 is arranged at the bottom of thesorting mechanism2, thearticle sorting device100 includes amotor4, and themotor4 cooperates with themagnetic pole plate26 to drive thesorting mechanism2 to walk along the sortingtrack1.
• Specifically, in some embodiments, themagnetic pole plate26 is arranged at the bottom of themechanism body21. Themotor4 is a linear motor and is fixedly arranged relative to thesorting track1. For example, themotor4 is arranged between the firstmain body part111 and the secondmain body part112 and is connected to the mountingbracket9 which is fixed on the supportingbracket8 through a connectingframe43. Furthermore, themotor4 is provided with agroove41 extending along the first direction Y, and themagnetic pole plate26 passes through thegroove41 in the moving process of thesorting mechanism2 along the sortingtrack1.
• Based on themagnetic pole plate26 and themotor4, when thesorting mechanism2 passes through themotor4, themagnetic pole plate26 can be inserted into thegroove41 and cut magnetic induction lines to generate electric energy, so that thesorting mechanism2 passing through themotor4 can obtain the electric energy to drive thesorting mechanism2 to move on thesorting track1. Furthermore, in a case that the plurality of sortingmechanisms2 are arranged on the mountingbar3 side by side, when thesorting mechanism2 located at the front in the moving direction is driven by themotor4 to move, the mountingbar3 can be driven to move, so that the mountingbar3 can drive therear sorting mechanism2 to move forward continuously to pass through themotor4 and be driven by themotor4 again. In this way, all thesorting mechanisms2 are connected in series, eachsorting mechanism2 can pass through themotor4 and be powered by themotor4, so that all thesorting mechanisms2 can move along the sortingtrack1. In this driving mode, it is unnecessary to arrange other transmission mechanisms such as sprockets, so the structure is simple, and it is convenient to realize the lightweight of thearticle sorting device100.
• The number of themotors4 may be set according to the required driving force, for example, each layer may be provided with one, two ormore motors4.
• To facilitate themagnetic pole plate26 to enter thegroove41, referring toFIG.5, in some embodiments, aguide part42 is arranged at an inlet of thegroove41, and theguide part42 is configured to guide themagnetic pole plate26 to enter thegroove41. Specifically, theguide part42 makes the inlet of thegroove41 to form a V-shaped channel with a width being gradually reduced in an entering direction. In this way, themagnetic pole plate26 can enter thegroove41 more smoothly to obtain power, eachsorting mechanism2 can run more smoothly, and running stagnation is avoided, so that the work reliability of thearticle sorting device100 and the sorting efficiency are improved.
• In order to make the whole structure more compact, referring toFIG.5 toFIG.8, in some embodiments, acavity141 is formed in thesorting track1, aside wall144 of thecavity141 is provided with anopening145, the mountingbar3 is arranged in thecavity141, and thesorting mechanism2 extends into thecavity141 from theopening145 and is connected to the mountingbar3. In this case, the mountingbar3 is arranged in thesorting track1, therefore, with respect to other cases where the mountingbar3 is arranged outside the sortingtrack1, the structure is more compact and the appearance is flatter, what's more, a cavity wall of thecavity141 can play a certain role in limiting the mountingbar3, and the movable arrangement of the mountingbar3 relative to thesorting track1 can be realized conveniently. For example, the mountingbar3 is directly placed in thecavity141, then the movable arrangement relative to thesorting track1 is realized.
• A cross section of the sorting track1 (that is, cross sections of the firstmain body part111, the secondmain body part112, thefirst transition part121 and the second transition part122) may be a circle with anopening145. In this case, the cross section of the sortingtrack1 is C-shaped. Or referring toFIG.8, the cross section of the sortingtrack1 may be of other shapes such as a square with anopening145. Theopening145 specifically faces a space between the firstmain body part111 and the second main body part112 (that is, the space between thefirst transition part121 and the second transition part122), thereby facilitating insertion of thesorting mechanism2.
• The parts of thesorting mechanism2 are inserted into thecavity141 are specifically the first connectingpart22 and the second connectingpart23. Referring toFIG.3 toFIG.8, in some embodiments, a first limitingwheel31 is arranged on the mountingbar3, and the first limitingwheel31 is connected to thesorting mechanism2. Specifically, the first limitingwheel31 is connected with the first connectingpart22 or the second connectingpart23 to realize the connection with thesorting mechanism2. The first connectingpart22 and the second connectingpart23 are inserted into thecavity141 from theopening145, and connected to the first limitingwheel31 which is located in thecavity141 and arranged on the mountingbar3. In this case, the first connectingpart22 includes a first connectingshaft22a, and the second connectingpart23 includes a second connectingshaft23a. The first connectingshaft22aand the second connectingshaft23amay be arranged on a lower part of themechanism body21, and inserted into thecavity141 from theopening145 to be coaxially connected to the first limitingwheel31.
• Referring toFIG.7, a peripheral surface of the first limitingwheel31 is at least in contact with an inner surface of abottom wall142 of thecavity141. Under a condition of high cooperation precision, the peripheral surface of the first limitingwheel31 may also be in contact with an inner surface of atop wall143 of the sortingtrack1 to provide a stable supporting force to the first limitingwheel31, so that thesorting mechanism2 moves more stably and smoothly.
• In order to prevent the first limitingwheel31 from inclining during movement, referring toFIG.5, in some embodiments, the first limitingwheel31 includes twofirst wheel bodies311 coaxially arranged at intervals. The twofirst wheel bodies311 are arranged at intervals in a width direction of the mountingbar3, and are respectively clamped on two opposite sides of the mountingbar3 in the width direction.
• The first limitingwheel31 can prevent thesorting mechanism2 from jumping in the height direction Z, and can position thesorting mechanism2 to keep a distance between theadjacent sorting mechanisms2.
• In addition, referring toFIG.5 andFIG.6, in some embodiments, thearticle sorting device100 includes a limitingpiece3a, and the limitingpiece3ais arranged on the mountingbar3 for limiting the displacement of thesorting mechanism2 in the second direction X. On such basis, the limitingpiece3acan limit a deviation of thesorting mechanism2 in the second direction X, and can position thesorting mechanism2 to keep a distance between theadjacent sorting mechanisms2.
• Continuously referring toFIG.5 andFIG.6, in some embodiments, the limitingpiece3aincludes a second limitingwheel32, the second limitingwheel32 is spaced from the first limitingwheel31 in the extension direction of the mountingbar3, and an axis of the second limitingwheel32 is perpendicular to an axis of the first limitingwheel31. For example, when the axis of the first limitingwheel31 is along a width direction of the mountingbar3, the axis of the second limitingwheel32 is along a thickness direction of the mountingbar3. A peripheral surface of the second limitingwheel32 is in contact with theside wall144 of the sortingtrack1.
• The second limitingwheel32 prevents thesorting mechanism2 from deflecting in the second direction X in the movement process, and improves the movement stability of thesorting mechanism2.
• In order to prevent the second limitingwheel32 from inclining in the movement process, the second limitingwheel32 includes twosecond wheel bodies321 coaxially arranged at intervals, and the twosecond wheel bodies321 are arranged at intervals in the thickness direction of the mountingbar3 and are respectively clamped on two opposite surfaces of the mountingbar3 in the thickness direction.
• Still referring toFIG.5 andFIG.6, in some embodiments, a plurality of first limitingwheels31 and a plurality of second limitingwheels32 are arranged on the mountingbar3, and the plurality of first limitingwheels31 and the plurality of second limitingwheels32 are sequentially arranged in turn in the extension direction of the mountingbar3. Distances between the adjacent first limitingwheel31 and second limitingwheel32 are equal. In this way, theadjacent sorting mechanisms2 are kept at a preset distance more reliably, and all thesorting mechanisms2 move more stably.
• Referring toFIG.1 andFIG.2, in some embodiments, thearticle sorting device100 includes achute6. Thechute6 is arranged on thesorting track1 and located at the sorting position B to receive the article A unloaded by thesorting mechanism2 and guide the article A to fall. Thechute6 forms a lattice and guides the article A sorted by thesorting mechanism2 to fall, so that the article A can fall to a predetermined position more accurately. Thechute6 may be specifically configured to incline downwards.
• Continuously referring toFIG.1 andFIG.2, in some embodiments, sorting positions B are preset on different layers of the sortingtrack1, for example, a plurality of sorting positions B are arranged on each layer ofmain tracks11. In this case, thearticle sorting device100 may include multiple layers ofchutes6 so as to completely utilize the space in the height direction, and increase the number of the lattices in the height direction under the condition of the same occupied area, so that the sorting efficiency is improved, or more sorting types are provided, thereby making the sorting process more flexible.
• Thesorting mechanism2 can perform the sorting task on each layer ofmain track11, therefore, each layer ofmain track11 is provided with thechute6, such that thearticle sorting device100 has multiple layers ofchutes6, which can more fully Utilize all sortingmechanisms2 to improve sorting efficiency more effectively.
• Baffles are arranged on two sides of thechute6 in the first direction Y to prevent the article A from entering theadjacent chute6 or fall out of thechute6, so that the article A can be sorted to a predetermined area more accurately. Theadjacent chutes6 may share the baffle.
• A width of the chute6 (the size in the first direction Y) may be greater than the width of thesorting mechanism2, so that the articles falling from thesorting mechanism2 enters thechute6 smoothly.
• Thechute6 may only be arranged on one side of the sortingtrack1 in the second direction X, or may be arranged on two sides of the sortingtrack1 in the second direction X. For example, in some embodiments, thechute6 is arranged on the outer side of only one of the firstmain body part111 and the secondmain body part112, and in this case, each layer ofchutes6 only include one row ofchutes6. Referring toFIG.1, in some other embodiments, thechutes6 are arranged on the outer sides of the firstmain body part111 and the secondmain body part112, and in this case, each layer ofchutes6 include two rows ofchutes6, and the number ofslideways6 is larger, such that the space of thearticle sorting device100 in the second direction X is fully utilized thereby further improving the sorting efficiency, or providing more sorting types.
• Furthermore, referring toFIG.1 andFIG.2, in some embodiments, thearticle sorting device100 includes acontainer7, and thecontainer7 is configured to receive the article A falling from thechute6.
• To facilitate the display of thesorting mechanism2, only some of thecontainers7 are shown inFIG.1 andFIG.2, but it should be understood that thecontainers7 and thechutes6 may be arranged in a one-to-one correspondence manner. When there are multiple layers ofchutes6, there may be multiple layers ofcontainers7. Referring toFIG.1, the bottom layer of thecontainers7 may be directly placed on the ground. Other layers ofcontainers7 may be placed on a supporting frame (not shown in the figure).
• The sortingtrack1 is a multi-layer track and thecontainers7 are located at a higher position, therefore, in order to facilitate replacement of thecontainers7, the following measures may be taken: (1) a steel platform with the same height and layers as thearticle sorting device100 is built, and manual replacement is adopted; (2) thecontainers7 are replaced by a plurality of high-order forklift trucks which may be unmanned forklift trucks; (3) two sides of the sortingtrack1 in the second direction X are respectively provided with a group of stacking machines to automatically replace thecontainers7; or (4) a roller line transfer machine and a continuous lifting machine are arranged at eachchute6 to realize automatic in and out replacement of thecontainers7.
• In addition, referring toFIG.5 andFIG.7, in some embodiments, thearticle sorting device100 includes atrolley wire5 arranged on thesorting track1, thesorting mechanism2 includes anelectrical slip ring25, and theelectrical slip ring25 is electrically connected to thetrolley wire5.
• Thesorting mechanism2 is movable relative to thesorting track1, therefore, power supply and communication to the movingsorting mechanism2 is more reliably realized by supplying power through cooperation of theelectrical slip ring25 and thetrolley wire5. Electric energy provided by thetrolley wire5 may be used to drive theunloading mechanism24, or may be used for thesorting mechanism2 to communicate with a scheduling system.
• In order to mount thetrolley wire5, a supportingpiece51 may be arranged on theside wall144, having theopening145, of the sortingtrack1. The supportingpiece51 may be of a plate-shaped structure or a rod-shaped structure, and is fixed on theside wall144, having theopening145, of the sortingtrack1. Thetrolley wire5 is fixed on the supportingpiece51. Based on this, thetrolley wire5 is closer to thesorting mechanism2, thereby facilitating contact between thetrolley wire5 and theelectrical slip ring25.
• In some embodiments, twotrolley wires5 are respectively arranged on the first track member and the second track member, anelectrical slip ring25 is arranged on each of two sides of thesorting mechanism2 in the second direction X, and the electrical slip rings25 on two sides are respectively in contact with thetrolley wires5 on two sides, thereby providing power supply and communication for thesorting mechanism2 reliably and realizing the sorting process more smoothly.
• Thearticle sorting device100 provided by the present disclosure may be used to sort goods when entering and leaving a warehouse, or may be used to sort parcels. The working process may be as follows:
• as shown inFIG.1, a plurality of sortingmechanisms2 are spaced apart by the preset distance in the extension direction of the sortingtrack1, and articles A are arranged on eachsorting mechanism2. Taking sorting of packaged parcels as an example, the scheduling system determines the sorting type according to the delivery region of the parcels. For example, some of thecontainers7 are used to receive the parcels to be delivered to region R1, somecontainers7 are used to receive the parcels to be delivered to region R2, and so on. When thesorting mechanism2 moves to thecorresponding container7 bearing the parcel, theunloading mechanism24 on thesorting mechanism2 is started, so that the parcel falls into thecorresponding container7 from thechute6 on one side. Alternatively, a tipping bucket may be adopted, and the articles are unloaded by lifting one end of the tipping bucket. When anidle sorting mechanism2 appears, the articles A may be loaded again and may be sorted continuously.
• In addition, referring toFIG.1 andFIG.2, in some embodiments, the sortingtrack1 includes areturn track13. In the multiple layers ofmain tracks11, one end, not provided with thetransition track12, of themain track11 located on a bottommost layer is connected to one end, not provided with thetransition track12, of themain track11 located on a topmost layer through thereturn track13.
• Through thereturn track13, thewhole sorting track1 forms a closed ring, and the sortingmechanisms2 can return to the bottommost layer ofmain track11 through thereturn track13 after running from the bottommost layer ofmain track11 to the topmost layer ofmain track11, so that a whole circulating movement can be realized, and eachsorting mechanism2 can be recycled.
• Thereturn track13 may be a linear track or a curved track. For example, referring toFIG.1 andFIG.2, in some embodiments, thereturn track13 is a linear track, and in this case, the structure is simpler and more stable.
• In addition, as an improvement of thearticle sorting device100 shown inFIG.1, referring toFIG.5 andFIG.6, in some embodiments, thearticle sorting device100 includes aprotective cover15, and theprotective cover15 is arranged on at least one side of the sortingtrack1 in the first direction Y, so that the running safety of thearticle sorting device100 is improved.
• Referring toFIG.6, in some embodiments, theprotective cover15 includes afirst plate151, asecond plate152 and a third plate (not shown in the figure), and thefirst plate151 and thesecond plate152 are connected to two opposite sides of the third plate, so that the cross section of theprotective cover15 is roughly U-shaped. During mounting, thefirst plate151 and thesecond plate152 are located on two sides of the sortingtrack1 in the second direction X, and the third plate is located on one side of the sortingtrack1 in the first direction Y.
• Continuously referring toFIG.6, in some embodiments, theprotective cover15 is mounted onupright columns16. For example, twoupright columns16 are arranged on two sides of the sortingtrack1 in the second direction X, and thefirst plate151 and thesecond plate152 are respectively fixedly connected to the twoupright columns16, so that theupright columns16 are used to support and fix theprotective cover15.
• It should be noted thatFIG.5 omits theprotective cover15, andFIG.6 only shows part of theprotective cover15.
• The article sorting device provided by the present disclosure is described in detail. The principle and embodiments of the present disclosure are elaborated by specific embodiments, and the description of the above embodiments is only intended to help understand the method of the present disclosure and the core concept thereof. It should be point out that for those of ordinary skill in the art, several improvements and modifications may be made to the present disclosure without departing from the principle of the present disclosure, and also fall into the protection scope of the claims of the present disclosure.

Claims (18)

1. An article sorting device comprising:

a sorting track, comprising transition tracks and multiple layers of main tracks, wherein the transition track is connected to the same ends of the two adjacent layers of main tracks in a first direction, and the two adjacent transition tracks in a height direction are located at two ends of the main track in the first direction; and

a sorting mechanism movably arranged on the sorting track to load an article, configured to unload the article in a second direction when moving to a set sorting position along the sorting track, wherein the second direction intersects the height direction and the first direction.

2. The article sorting device according toclaim 1, wherein the sorting mechanism has a loading surface for placing the article, and the loading surface always faces upwards during movement of the sorting mechanism along the sorting track.

3. The article sorting device according toclaim 2, wherein the transition track comprises a first transition part and a second transition part; the first transition part and the second transition part are arranged side by side in the second direction and spaced from each other; the sorting mechanism comprises a first connecting part and a second connecting part, the sorting mechanism is coupled with the first transition part and the second transition part respectively through the first connecting part and the second connecting part, the first transition part is staggered with respect to the second transition part by a distance L towards a side of the first direction, and the first connection part is staggered with respect to the second connection part by the same distance toward the same side of the first direction.

4. The article sorting device according toclaim 1, wherein a magnetic pole plate is arranged at the bottom of the sorting mechanism, the article sorting device comprises a motor, and the motor cooperates with the magnetic pole plate to drive the sorting mechanism to walk along the sorting track.

5. The article sorting device according toclaim 4, wherein the motor is provided with a groove extending in the first direction, and the magnetic pole plate passes through the groove during movement of the sorting mechanism along the sorting track.

6. The article sorting device according toclaim 5, wherein a guide part is arranged at an inlet of the groove, and the guide part is configured to guide the magnetic pole plate to enter the groove.

7. The article sorting device according toclaim 1, comprising a plurality of sorting mechanisms and a mounting bar, wherein an extension direction of the mounting bar is consistent with that of the sorting track, the mounting bar is configured to move relative to the sorting track, and the plurality of sorting mechanisms are arranged on the mounting bar side by side.

8. The article sorting device according toclaim 7, wherein a cavity is formed in the sorting track, and a side wall of the cavity is provided with an opening, the mounting bar is arranged in the cavity, and the sorting mechanism extends into the cavity from the opening and is connected to the mounting bar.

9. The article sorting device according toclaim 7, comprising a limiting piece, wherein the limiting piece is arranged on the mounting bar to limit a displacement of the sorting mechanism in the second direction.

10. The article sorting device according toclaim 9, wherein a first limiting wheel connected to the sorting mechanism is arranged on the mounting bar, the limiting piece comprises a second limiting wheel, the first limiting wheel and the second limiting wheel are arranged at intervals in an extension direction of the mounting bar, and an axis of the first limiting wheel is perpendicular to an axis of the second limiting wheel.

11. The article sorting device according toclaim 10, wherein a plurality of first limiting wheels and a plurality of second limiting wheels (32) are arranged on the mounting bar, and the plurality of first limiting wheels and the plurality of second limiting wheels are arranged sequentially in turn in the extension direction of the mounting bar.

12. The article sorting device according toclaim 1, wherein the transition tracks are arc-shaped tracks.

13. The article sorting device according toclaim 1, wherein in the multiple layers of main tracks, the main track located on the bottom layer is connected to one end, without the transition track, of the main track on the top layer through a return track.

14. The article sorting device according toclaim 13, wherein the return track is a linear track.

15. The article sorting device according toclaim 1, comprising a trolley wire, wherein the trolley wire is arranged on the sorting track, the sorting mechanism comprises an electrical slip ring, and the electrical slip ring is electrically connected to the trolley wire.

16. The article sorting device according toclaim 1, comprising a chute, wherein the chute is arranged on the sorting track and located at the sorting position to receive the article unloaded by the sorting mechanism and guide the article to fall.

17. The article sorting device according toclaim 16, wherein the chutes are arranged on two sides of the sorting track in the second direction.

18. The article sorting device according toclaim 16, comprising a container, wherein the container is configured to receive the article falling from the chute.

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